Every spring, our televisions are inundated with game after game of March Madness basketball. While I don’t claim to understand this craze, I can appreciate the excitement it brings and the fun of the sports crazed community.
Fans around the country complete their brackets, making their best educated guesses as to who will beat whom. Eager anticipation fills the hearts of many and there’s a sports-themed buzz that pulses through the media.
It’s a fun and good-natured time of year. March Madness is an easy way to get involved in something by cheering on your favorite team and rooting against your rivals. It’s fun to make tasty treats, cozy up on the couch, and have a good reason to spend time with friends and family – bonding over each missed shot, pass made, or point scored.
Despite my meager attempts at playing basketball in my youth, it is certainly not something that grabs my attention nowadays. However, there are many things that do!
Personally, I enjoy baking a hearty boule of sourdough on the weekends and dabbling in watercolor in the evenings. I enjoy disappearing into a good novel after the kids have been put to bed and going for a walk when the weather is nice. I love trying new things and having fun in the day-to-day grind of life.
Admittedly, life can be mundane at times. It can be stressful and burdensome, too. The dishes never end, and the laundry never seems to disappear. Bills need to be paid; groceries need to be bought. Food must always be prepared, lest our bellies rumble. Rinse and repeat.
March Madness is certainly a fun escape from the day-to-day and provides joy and excitement! It ignites a spark in our soul, as do various other hobbies and passions. It brings about community – something that we need for our well-being as humans.
As we age, it’s easy to get sucked into the daily grind. It’s easy for life to become routine, boring, and lonely. This is my official encouragement to find your passion – find the one thing that makes your heart warm and your soul smile. Find something – the activity, place, thing, or person – that makes life worth living. That makes life joyful!
Life continues, whether we choose to seek out our passions, to seek out joy, or not. I challenge you to pick up that paintbrush, grab a novel that’s been sitting in your “to be read” pile, call a long-lost friend. Don’t let the monotony of responsibility and life drag you down.
And if you’re at a loss for where to begin – I encourage you to check out the fantastic activities and classes we have at The Campus for Creative Aging.
Coming up in April, we have a few different virtual cooking classes where you can learn how to make several dishes from the comfort of your home, like red lentil tacos! We have a class on kinship care – a support system for families raising a family member’s child; as well as Diabetes PATH, for those living with or caring for someone with diabetes.
Can’t find a class that interests you? Volunteer to teach one to the community! We’re always looking for volunteer class teachers to share their passion with others.
We’re also gearing up for a summer full of classes in our Computer Learning Center, where we’ll cover topics like Basic Artificial Intelligence, Apple iPhone and iPad, Android, Facebook, Microsoft Word and Excel, video chatting, file management, and more.
Embrace the spirit of March Madness – find your passion. Check us out at: campusforcreativeaging.org.
Emily Marshall is a care manager/social worker for the Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810 or visit www.areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.